FEASIBILITY STUDIES FOR OPTIMIZING SPHEROMAK EQUILIBRIA .1. SPHEX

With reference to both the spheromak experiments SPHEX and FACT, we in itiate an investigation into the extent to which a realistic equilibri um parameter-set can be determined by a measured magnetic data-set tha t is ultimately expected to be non-intrusive. Compared to tile tokamak , it is pointed out that the spheromak suffers from both theoretical a nd practical difficulties in attaining this goal, with the result that a feasibility study utilizing interior SPHEX data is first attempted. As consequence, we hope to indicate the type of global, and otherwise , data that must be measured (within the engineering constraints repre sented by the spheromak configuration) in the more difficult, but diag nostically more relevant, non-intrusive case.